USC School of Cinematic Arts SCA MFA Film & TV Production Fall 2020

[CCCCCrest]

I’m trying to find the pattern during the anxious waiting and it seems that the notifications update everyday at PST midnight since the first day?

 

[green-scarf]

I believe they are rolling decisions but the people who have gotten in were all interviewed at different times (from the beginning of January to the end I believe) so I don’t think when you were interviewed seems to correspond with when your decision will come out

 

[sguilford]

I’m trying to find the pattern during the anxious waiting and it seems that the notifications update everyday at PST midnight since the first day?

That would make sense because I went to bed last night like 20 minutes before then and when I woke up I saw someone had posted about a decisions at like 12:45 PST.

I believe they are rolling decisions but the people who have gotten in were all interviewed at different times (from the beginning of January to the end I believe) so I don’t think when you were interviewed seems to correspond with when your decision will come out

Do you think what date you submit your application matters? No, right? I waited till like the last 5 minutes though before I submitted. Can't submit perfection but you can try to get as close to it as possible!

 

[itsnoteasybeinggreen]

Do you think what date you submit your application matters? No, right? I waited till like the last 5 minutes though before I submitted. Can't submit perfection but you can try to get as close to it as possible!

I don't think so. @truffleshuffle said that they submitted on the 15th (when it was due, right?) so I'm thinking it's a little random and it might depend on the professor who interviewed you and when they forwarded their recommendations. Not sure though.

Congratulations to everyone who has gotten in so far!! It's exciting that results are finally coming through!

 

[Ep317]

I don't think so. @truffleshuffle said that they submitted on the 15th (when it was due, right?) so I'm thinking it's a little random and it might depend on the professor who interviewed you and when they forwarded their recommendations. Not sure though.

Congratulations to everyone who has gotten in so far!! It's exciting that results are finally coming through!

Yea I think you’re right. I submitted my application on the 15th of November and I was interviewed on the 31st of Jan so quite late compared to the first few people who got their notifications in early-Jan.
I’m just wondering when I’ll get the official email to check the portal because if it wasn’t for this forum, I’d still be unaware of my acceptance so once again, very grateful for all of you

 

[wendy_]

I just checked the portal and I found my welcome letter posted. I'm in, guys. I could cry right now.

Pertinent Info:

• I'm a domestic student.
• Did not receive an email yet. Just checked Decisions Status in youSC.
• The admission letter itself looks like it's from the Graduate School in general, not SCA.
• The PDF letter is dated Feb. 29 but didn't show up in my inbox until Mar. 2.
• It's contingent upon me finishing my BA this May (fingers crossed lol).
• My undergrad major is Creative Writing but I took a lot of film courses (used to be a Film major).
• Submitted app Nov. 15.
• I was interviewed on Feb. 6.
• No info about financial aid just yet.
• After filling out the Statement of Intent (whether you plan to enroll or not) you will receive a USC Net ID within a day or two, where you can set up an email account and access online resources, register for orientation, etc.

I hope we see more and more good news rolling through this forum over the next couple of weeks. Stay strong, my fellow storytellers.

Did you pay the deposit? I filled out the form and nothing appeared. Does that mean we wait until they inform us to pay?

Edit: never mind I received the payment link now lol

 

[crashpad311]

Congrats everyone! Just got accepted! Been a long time lurker so figured I'd jump in. I owe it to this group because I checked the YouSC portal to find out!

Anyone still waiting on/interviewing at other schools and, if so, how are you handling?

 

[stargirlmars]

Congrats, everyone! We did it!

I'm new to this so bear with me--I'm a bit slow on how these forums work. I just saw my decision letter today, but they sent it on Feb. 29. If I had gotten a scholarship, would they have notified me in the acceptance letter or will they notify me at a later date? Also, does anyone know when financial aid decisions will be released? And could anyone provide me tips on how to pay for tuition? I'm freaking out about this $65,000/year price tag.

 

[CCCCCrest]

This is crazy to me. The professor was willing to spend on international calling fees just to interview you out of the blue? It just seems crazy unnecessary to me, not to mention them maybe calling you at a very inconvenient time (especially if you're in a different timezone altogether).

Also @itsnotbeinggreen put it best, everything about the being called out of the blue is wicked chaotic, doubly more so if the applicant is an international student!

Yes I think so too. The first thing the professor asked me was “what time is it”

 

[truffleshuffle]

Did you pay the deposit? I filled out the form and nothing appeared. Does that mean we wait until they inform us to pay?

Edit: never mind I received the payment link now lol

Keep in mind there are 2 different levels of acceptance. (Someone correct me if I'm wrong.)

1. USC Graduate School Statement of Intent: that you reach through the link underneath your admissions letter in YouSC. You are encouraged to accept this whether you intend to enroll at USC or not (words of admission letter).
   • Submitting this appears non-binding and kicks off the process to generate your USC NetID, which will populate in the system after 1 or 2 business days. At that point you can go to this link and activate your USC NetID, which gives you access to online tools and creates your USC e-mail.
2. USC SCA Intent to Enroll and $500 Deposit: This is the link in the email sent directly from SCA which requires the $500 deposit. You have until April 15, 2020 to do this.

Sorry to spam this thread with post-admission logistics, but I'm just hoping newly admitted folks understand the difference (basically that forking out $500 isn't absolutely necessary just yet).

 

[addik]

Thank you for that @truffleshuffle, I'm still in the process of filing financial documents and family members are helping me to reach the minimum required funds so I can get my acceptance letter and I-20 (and start looking for organizations to help fund my studies,) so I didn't have an idea what the next steps were once I do get it.

At least the deposit isn't that high, and we have plenty of time to put that in

 

[truffleshuffle]

Congrats, everyone! We did it!

I'm new to this so bear with me--I'm a bit slow on how these forums work. I just saw my decision letter today, but they sent it on Feb. 29. If I had gotten a scholarship, would they have notified me in the acceptance letter or will they notify me at a later date? Also, does anyone know when financial aid decisions will be released? And could anyone provide me tips on how to pay for tuition? I'm freaking out about this $65,000/year price tag.

Financial aid (incl. scholarships) info comes out separately a couple weeks later if I recall from previous years' threads. Regarding paying for tuition, if you are a U.S. citizen then you can always fall back on Grad PLUS loans, but I'm sure the Financial Aid Office can help you out with more info there.

 

[afilmcionado]

I don't think I've seen anything that says the Statement of Intent is non-binding, and given the language on the form, I would assume it's binding. The deadline for both the Statement of Intent and deposit is the same (April 15), so I don't think there's any urgency in declaring the Statement of Intent.

 

[truffleshuffle]

I don't think I've seen anything that says the Statement of Intent is non-binding, and given the language on the form, I would assume it's binding. The deadline for both the Statement of Intent and deposit is the same (April 15), so I don't think there's any urgency in declaring the Statement of Intent.

It's actually in the PDF admissions letter itself:

​

"Please submit the Statement of Intent: Graduate Studies form whether or not you decide to enroll at USC. Certifying your USC enrollment will allow you to create your university email account, register for Graduate Student Orientation, and access your USC records."​

It's your prerogative to wait and see of course, but I'd be worried that you might possibly miss out on some key correspondence. If I get anything important in my USC email I'll be sure to let people here know in case they've been holding out on submitting the statement of intent.

 

[greenfurredturtle]

Thank you for that @truffleshuffle, I'm still in the process of filing financial documents and family members are helping me to reach the minimum required funds so I can get my acceptance letter and I-20 (and start looking for organizations to help fund my studies,) so I didn't have an idea what the next steps were once I do get it.

At least the deposit isn't that high, and we have plenty of time to put that in

Hey addik, I'm kinda doing the same thing. Do you know for the visa, is it that we need to prove sufficient savings for one year's fees or for the whole program (I know for acceptance letter it's just one year's but I'm not sure about the visa)? I'm kinda confused here because I hear different things about it. Also have emailed SCA.

Btw, this is kinda irrelevant but does anyone know how to change your username in this forum?

 

[addik]

Hey addik, I'm kinda doing the same thing. Do you know for the visa, is it that we need to prove sufficient savings for one year's fees or for the whole program (I know for acceptance letter it's just one year's but I'm not sure about the visa)? I'm kinda confused here because I hear different things about it. Also have emailed SCA.

Btw, this is kinda irrelevant but does anyone know how to change your username in this forum?

Obviously, it's safer if you are able to prove sufficient savings for the entire program, but from what I remember, one year should be enough, as long as you are able to prove that you can or will get a steady source of income from somewhere once the one year has passed.

Although practically, as long as you have an I-20 that the school issued, it should mean that you are financially okay, and it's up to the consular officer assigned to your case to investigate further.

Edit: Just confirmed that you only need proof you can cover the expenses incurred in your first year + proof you will eventually have money/funds to support the rest of your studies.

 

[Chris W]

Btw, this is kinda irrelevant but does anyone know how to change your username in this forum?

Send me a PM

 

[stargirlmars]

Financial aid (incl. scholarships) info comes out separately a couple weeks later if I recall from previous years' threads. Regarding paying for tuition, if you are a U.S. citizen then you can always fall back on Grad PLUS loans, but I'm sure the Financial Aid Office can help you out with more info there.

Thank you for taking the time to answer my question! I can sleep a little easier tonight. This is my dream school and I haven't really been able to enjoy the moment because I'm so concerned about how to pay for it.

 

[LEDAJ]

An international student here, still waiting for the decision... and what I want to say is... Congrats to everyone!!!

 

[CCCCCrest]

It’s a new day in PST, does anyone receive more news?